Some comments in a thread or two recently have brought back to mind not only discussions which took place here but also many times in various places. I refer to the relationship between religion (usually either specifically Christianity or specifically paganism) and the Nazi's (or even just Hitler). Generally, such discussions involve one of two assertions:
1) "proof" that atheism is responsible for the worst mass slaughters in history, caused more destruction in a century than religion has in the history of humanity (which, in my discussions with some, is a 6,000 year history), and other clear signs that atheism is at best more destructive than religion and at worst will inevitably lead to disaster.
2) That Hitler and the Nazi party were Christian and yet another demonstration of the evils of religion.
In both cases, there are also standard defenses, such as (in the first case) that atheism can't possibly be responsible for anything, or (in the second case) that the Nazi party was pagan.
I decided to start this thread because regardless of whether one is blaming atheism or religion, offhand jabs or quips regarding something so serious I find to be irresponsible (and, depending on context and phrasing, also thoughtless as well).
Additionally, this is a topic which defeats the typical means and methods for investigation- the internet. In general, the more contentious an issue, the harder it is to get answers online (because one can always find sites to support a particular view just as easily as another), but the issue of the Nazi party and Hitler is even more problematic than other "charged" issues. The problem is propogands: the Nazi party and Hitler were probably unrivaled in their use of propogands of all types. For this reason, it takes considerable more effort to determine what the party or Hitler actually stood for.
So here I avoid presenting online sources, links, or other popular sources in an attempt to address what I believe to be a serious issue by using the work of those who have done exactly what is needed here: seperate fact from fiction as best as possible.
First, there is indeed a connection between the Nazi party and Christianity. The connection is two-fold. On the one hand, the widespread anti-semiticism deeply rooted in Christian culture provided an ideological link between the Nazis and a wider Christian population. On the other hand, at least initially, the Nazi party made much use of Christian symbolism. The ties between the party and German Christianity in the early years was particularly strong:
"Many Germans expected the National Socialist revolution to lead to a revival of religion. Church membership and attendance actually grew in the early years of Nazi rule. The Churches, it should be recalled, shared the Nazis’ hostility toward secular liberalism and socialism and approved of their affirmation of authority, hierarchy, morality, and faith. The Nazis had pledged support for “a positive Christianity” in their program; they had traditionally opened their meetings and rallies with prayer; and leading Nazis frequently invoked God and divine providence in their speeches. SS rules explicitly prohibited its members from describing themselves as atheist, as this supposedly signified an unhealthy disbelief in life’s higher purposes. Even Hitler claimed in Mein Kampf that he was doing the work of the Lord."
Stackelberg, R. (1999). Hitler's Germany: Origins, Interpretations, Legacies. London, Routledge.
However, not only did this religious revival never occur, it was antithetical to the Nazi ideology:
"For all their lip-service to the importance of religion, however, the spiritual revival preached by National Socialists had little in common with the traditional doctrines of either the Catholic or Lutheran Churches...Although the Nazis consciously sought to embrace both the Christian and anti-Christian wings of the völkisch movement, it seems likely that the Nazis would have attempted to supplant traditional religion" (ibid)
"The Nazi attitude towards the Churches was confused and inconsistent, and characterised by fundamental hostility in outlook and considerable local persecution. At first the Nazis attempted to identify National Socialism with Christianity but later declared the two beliefs to be irreconcilable. Even though Hitler may have been fundamentally hostile to the Christian Churches by 1933, he had no definite idea of how to proceed against them." Welch, D. (2002). The Third Reich: Politics and Propaganda (2nd ed.). London, Routledge.
The problem, and the reason for the Christian symbolism in Nazi propaganda, was not just a need for support. Cultures in general tend to adopt at least a fairly cohesive identity. For totalitarian societies, a cohesive identity is absolutely essential. Religion provided the Nazis a ready-made ideological framework and worldview, and although Hitler used this in the beginning, the trend under Nazi Germany to replace faith in any spiritual system with faith in a political system echoed that found elsewhere:
"One key modality in which fascist movements seemed to parallel certain religious groups was the projection of a sense of messianic mission, typical of utopian revolutionary movements. Each had the goal of realizing a new status and mode of being for its nation, but the fascist ambitions typically paralleled those of other secular revolutionary movements in functioning within an imminent, this-worldly framework, rather than the otherworldly transcendence of religious groups.
Fundamental to fascism was the effort to create a new “civic religion” of the movement and of its structure as a state. This would build a system of all encompassing myths that would incorporate both the fascist elite and their followers and would bind together the nation in a new common faith and loyalty. Such civic religion would displace preceding structures of belief and relegate supernatural religion to a secondary role or to none at all."
Payne, G. E. (1995). A History of Fascism, 1914-1945. London, Routledge.
Neither Hitler nor the Nazi party in general differed from the general description quoted above in terms of their goals and ideals:
"Opposed to all sorts of religionists, Hitler understood very well that the end of the state church and the disunion of church and religion could not be rescinded by simply pouring new wine in old bottles. The central problem he had to cope with was the integration of millions of unbelieving workers into the community of the folk (“Volksgemeinschaft”
which would not be possible on the basis of old-fashioned church structures nor with the help of a rather grotesque voelkish heathendom" from Juninger's introductory essay to the volume The Study of Religion Under the Impact of Fascism (vol. 117 of Numen Book Series: Study in the History of Religions).
The very claim of a Nazi Christianity led by a Christian Hitler ironically stems from the process to erase the Christian ethic and replace it with a secular "religion". This process was not immediate, nor did it occur through some steady progression. Yet it became increasingly clear (or, at least is clear now, with the advantage of hindsight), that Hitler and the Nazi party mounted an ever more persistent attack against spiritual (rather than civic or state-based) expression, and were determined to replace religious practice and tradition with a secular, political framework.
"Nationalism served as a secular religion that promised an alternative to a world suffering from an excess of capitalist and communist rationalization."
Herf, J. (1984). Reactionary Modernism: Technology, Culture, and Politics in Weimar and the Third Reich. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
"After the Nazi “seizure of power,” the new regime attempted to coerce and persuade all racially pure Germans to cast off their old loyalties – class, political and religious – and to immerse themselves in a new collective identity, the Volksgemeinschaft or “racial community.”" from David Crew's introductory essay to Nazism and German Society, 1933-1945
1) "proof" that atheism is responsible for the worst mass slaughters in history, caused more destruction in a century than religion has in the history of humanity (which, in my discussions with some, is a 6,000 year history), and other clear signs that atheism is at best more destructive than religion and at worst will inevitably lead to disaster.
2) That Hitler and the Nazi party were Christian and yet another demonstration of the evils of religion.
In both cases, there are also standard defenses, such as (in the first case) that atheism can't possibly be responsible for anything, or (in the second case) that the Nazi party was pagan.
I decided to start this thread because regardless of whether one is blaming atheism or religion, offhand jabs or quips regarding something so serious I find to be irresponsible (and, depending on context and phrasing, also thoughtless as well).
Additionally, this is a topic which defeats the typical means and methods for investigation- the internet. In general, the more contentious an issue, the harder it is to get answers online (because one can always find sites to support a particular view just as easily as another), but the issue of the Nazi party and Hitler is even more problematic than other "charged" issues. The problem is propogands: the Nazi party and Hitler were probably unrivaled in their use of propogands of all types. For this reason, it takes considerable more effort to determine what the party or Hitler actually stood for.
So here I avoid presenting online sources, links, or other popular sources in an attempt to address what I believe to be a serious issue by using the work of those who have done exactly what is needed here: seperate fact from fiction as best as possible.
First, there is indeed a connection between the Nazi party and Christianity. The connection is two-fold. On the one hand, the widespread anti-semiticism deeply rooted in Christian culture provided an ideological link between the Nazis and a wider Christian population. On the other hand, at least initially, the Nazi party made much use of Christian symbolism. The ties between the party and German Christianity in the early years was particularly strong:
"Many Germans expected the National Socialist revolution to lead to a revival of religion. Church membership and attendance actually grew in the early years of Nazi rule. The Churches, it should be recalled, shared the Nazis’ hostility toward secular liberalism and socialism and approved of their affirmation of authority, hierarchy, morality, and faith. The Nazis had pledged support for “a positive Christianity” in their program; they had traditionally opened their meetings and rallies with prayer; and leading Nazis frequently invoked God and divine providence in their speeches. SS rules explicitly prohibited its members from describing themselves as atheist, as this supposedly signified an unhealthy disbelief in life’s higher purposes. Even Hitler claimed in Mein Kampf that he was doing the work of the Lord."
Stackelberg, R. (1999). Hitler's Germany: Origins, Interpretations, Legacies. London, Routledge.
However, not only did this religious revival never occur, it was antithetical to the Nazi ideology:
"For all their lip-service to the importance of religion, however, the spiritual revival preached by National Socialists had little in common with the traditional doctrines of either the Catholic or Lutheran Churches...Although the Nazis consciously sought to embrace both the Christian and anti-Christian wings of the völkisch movement, it seems likely that the Nazis would have attempted to supplant traditional religion" (ibid)
"The Nazi attitude towards the Churches was confused and inconsistent, and characterised by fundamental hostility in outlook and considerable local persecution. At first the Nazis attempted to identify National Socialism with Christianity but later declared the two beliefs to be irreconcilable. Even though Hitler may have been fundamentally hostile to the Christian Churches by 1933, he had no definite idea of how to proceed against them." Welch, D. (2002). The Third Reich: Politics and Propaganda (2nd ed.). London, Routledge.
The problem, and the reason for the Christian symbolism in Nazi propaganda, was not just a need for support. Cultures in general tend to adopt at least a fairly cohesive identity. For totalitarian societies, a cohesive identity is absolutely essential. Religion provided the Nazis a ready-made ideological framework and worldview, and although Hitler used this in the beginning, the trend under Nazi Germany to replace faith in any spiritual system with faith in a political system echoed that found elsewhere:
"One key modality in which fascist movements seemed to parallel certain religious groups was the projection of a sense of messianic mission, typical of utopian revolutionary movements. Each had the goal of realizing a new status and mode of being for its nation, but the fascist ambitions typically paralleled those of other secular revolutionary movements in functioning within an imminent, this-worldly framework, rather than the otherworldly transcendence of religious groups.
Fundamental to fascism was the effort to create a new “civic religion” of the movement and of its structure as a state. This would build a system of all encompassing myths that would incorporate both the fascist elite and their followers and would bind together the nation in a new common faith and loyalty. Such civic religion would displace preceding structures of belief and relegate supernatural religion to a secondary role or to none at all."
Payne, G. E. (1995). A History of Fascism, 1914-1945. London, Routledge.
Neither Hitler nor the Nazi party in general differed from the general description quoted above in terms of their goals and ideals:
"Opposed to all sorts of religionists, Hitler understood very well that the end of the state church and the disunion of church and religion could not be rescinded by simply pouring new wine in old bottles. The central problem he had to cope with was the integration of millions of unbelieving workers into the community of the folk (“Volksgemeinschaft”
which would not be possible on the basis of old-fashioned church structures nor with the help of a rather grotesque voelkish heathendom" from Juninger's introductory essay to the volume The Study of Religion Under the Impact of Fascism (vol. 117 of Numen Book Series: Study in the History of Religions). The very claim of a Nazi Christianity led by a Christian Hitler ironically stems from the process to erase the Christian ethic and replace it with a secular "religion". This process was not immediate, nor did it occur through some steady progression. Yet it became increasingly clear (or, at least is clear now, with the advantage of hindsight), that Hitler and the Nazi party mounted an ever more persistent attack against spiritual (rather than civic or state-based) expression, and were determined to replace religious practice and tradition with a secular, political framework.
"Nationalism served as a secular religion that promised an alternative to a world suffering from an excess of capitalist and communist rationalization."
Herf, J. (1984). Reactionary Modernism: Technology, Culture, and Politics in Weimar and the Third Reich. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
"After the Nazi “seizure of power,” the new regime attempted to coerce and persuade all racially pure Germans to cast off their old loyalties – class, political and religious – and to immerse themselves in a new collective identity, the Volksgemeinschaft or “racial community.”" from David Crew's introductory essay to Nazism and German Society, 1933-1945
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